


of robins, knives, scars, and trauma

by BooksUnderTheStairs



Series: identity crisis [1]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bruce Wayne is Batman, Dick Grayson Needs a Hug, Dick Grayson is Robin, Gen, Guns, Hurt Dick Grayson, Identity Reveal, Knives, Past Torture, Scars, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22410373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BooksUnderTheStairs/pseuds/BooksUnderTheStairs
Summary: "What about Robin's identity?" Dick had been surprised when the question was asked.Joker had simply said, "Oh, I already know his identity. Wasn't too hard to put together the pieces, really. In fact," His eyes had glittered in glee as his gaze swept over the students. "I do believe he is in here right now." That was when Joker's psychotic gaze had fallen on Dick.
Series: identity crisis [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2091990
Comments: 2
Kudos: 70





	of robins, knives, scars, and trauma

Richard Grayson's day could not get any worse.

Like any day, it had started off pretty well. Alfred dropped him off at the front doors of Gotham Academy. He and Barbara talked before class started. He trolled Artemis. He got pushed around by the bigger, older kids. He was called names like freak and gypsy. All in all, a pretty standard day.

Assembly was when the day really went wrong.

The students gathered in the gym had been quietly listening to the principal talk about fundraisers and campaigns they were promoting. Suddenly, the fire alarm had started ringing. People had screamed. Some had started running. Then, the doors to the gym had been broken down. Two thugs had entered the room with guns. Thug One had had a machine gun, Thug Two had had a side arm. They had fired off a few shots in unison into the ceiling and had said, "Quiet, everyone! Unless you want a bullet in your head."

After everyone had fearfully quieted themselves, Dick had noticed another figure entering the room. Purple pants. Purple jacket. White skin. Green hair. The Joker.

He had strolled into the gymnasium and had said, "Alright kiddies. We're just going to sit here and wait for Batsie and Boy Blunder to come along before we start killing you. So you'd best be quiet."

"W-why do y-you w-w-want to k-kill us?" Someone had whimpered in fear.

Instead of shooting the poor boy, like many students and teachers had expected him to, Joker had said, "It's my way of getting Bats to tell me his secret identity." He chuckled in delight.

"What about Robin's identity?" Dick had been surprised when the question was asked.

Joker had simply said, "Oh, I already know his identity. Wasn't too hard to put together the pieces, really. In fact," His eyes had glittered in glee as his gaze swept over the students. "I do believe he is in here right now." That was when Joker's psychotic gaze had fallen on Dick.

* * *

Now Dick Grayson sat in his chair in the front row of the gym by the window, utility belt securely fastened across his chest, hidden beneath his school-issued blazer. He did his best not to squirm in his seat, uncomfortable with all the attention he was getting from Joker.

"Well, well, well." The Joker laughed in triumph. "When I found out Robin went to Gotham Academy, I knew it would get Bats running. But I didn't expect Robbie boy to be at school, on the very day I break out of Arkham. I'd expected him to be flying home to Batsie to track me down."

"Excuse me, Mr. Joker. What do you mean?" Ms. Downey, the math teacher, asked in fright.

"Ah, my dear woman. What I do mean to say is that Robin is sitting in this very gym." He turned to face the entirety of the class. "Gotham Academy students, Gotham Academy teachers, meet Richard John Grayson, otherwise known as Robin, the Boy Wonder."

All eyes turned to Dick. Underneath, he was shaking from shock. But to everyone who was watching, he simply looked confused. "What do you mean?" He kept his voice even and steady. "There's no way I'm Robin."

The Joker chuckled. "Of course you would deny it. Let me put the pieces together for you." He pulled out a round, metal device from his pocket and pressed a button. A holographic image appeared above it. Various news articles flashed across the screen, as well as videos and photos of Robin. "You see," Joker began, "when I first met Boy Blunder many years ago, he was quite a young boy, perhaps nine or ten. He was quite a formidable ally, and to be honest, I was surprised Batman had the guts to take on a sidekick. We fought over time, but eventually I got curious as to who Batman and Robin actually were. So I did a little digging. Turns out, an eight year old circus boy was orphaned when his family was murdered. A few months later, Robin appeared and took down Tony Zucco, the man who killed the Flying Graysons. I analyzed Robin's fighting technique compared to Richard's trapeze abilities. They were practically the same."

Throughout his rant, the Joker had been playing through years old news articles and videos, all bringing back memories to Dick. His face burned with anger. But to all who could see, he was simply confused.

"I'm seriously not Robin."

"Yeah," Dick's everyday bully spoke up. "There's no way Grayson is Robin. He's just a gypsy boy. He never fights back and he's weak."

"So you think," Joker said. "But have you ever wondered where Richard was when Robin was kidnapped? Numerous times, I might add."

Dick’s angered flared, though he stayed silent. "Well, yeah. He was either sick or on vacation," Dick's classmate said.

"Ah, but that's simply what he tells you. In reality, he was kidnapped by a villain. In fact, I was the first to kidnap Robin."

Fear surged through Dick. No, he thought. Don't talk about that.

But talk about it Joker did. He pressed yet another button on the disk and a paused video appeared on the screen. "Let's see if this sparks some memory." Joker grinned wickedly at Dick, pressing the button.

The video came to life, and it resurfaced memories Dick had made sure not to remember ever again.

_Robin hung from cold metal chains attached to the ceiling. The top part of his suit was gone, as well as his gloves, cape, and utility belt._

Several gasps were heard throughout the room. "Oh my gosh," someone said. Dick cringed inwardly and visibly tensed.

"Shut it, kiddies. Don't interrupt the movie," Joker said, cramming popcorn into his mouth, though where it came from no one could say. "It's just getting started."

_He was bloodied and bruised, with scars criss-crossing over his body. Robin groaned, his eyes fluttering open. A loud bang was heard, followed by the sound of footsteps._

_"Well, well, well." The Joker came into view, holding a wickedly sharp looking knife. "Are you having fun yet Robin? I sure hope you are. The fun is just beginning."_

_Without warning, Joker plunged the knife into Robin's abdomen. Surprisingly, he didn't scream, instead opting to grit his teeth in pain and let out a small whimper._

_Joker pushed harder, twisting the knife around and around several times before taking it out. "This won't do." Joker made a_ tsk _sound_. _"I need you to make some noise, birdie. Do it for Uncle J."_

_Joker then proceeded to grab a fine-tipped blade and advanced towards the Boy Wonder. Robin watched in suppressed fear as Joker lazily drew the letter J directly atop Robin's heart. "So you remember the time we've had together," the clown explained, cleaning the blade before setting it down._

_"You're sick." It was the first time Robin had spoken. Joker turned around and backhanded him across the face._

_"Now that was rude." He grabbed yet another knife and approached Robin. "I expected more from you, Boy Blunder." Joker then began to slash the little bird back and forth across his chest._

_Suddenly, a loud explosion was heard, and Joker dropped the knife. "Well, that's my cue." He turned towards Robin. "It was fun while it lasted, Robbie dear, but I have to go. Lots to kill in so little time." He unlocked the steel door and began walking away. "Anyway, be a good boy, finish your homework, and be in bed by nine." He paused to glance over his shoulder at the battered Boy Wonder. "And hey. Please tell the big man I said hello."_

Joker paused the video. Everyone stared in shocked silence. The clown turned to look at Dick.

"You sick son of a bitch,” Dick whispered angrily. He didn't care now if he needed to keep his identity secret. He didn't care if it went against everything Batman had taught him. Joker had gone too far.

Gotham Academy turned to look at Dick, who was shaking in rage.

"That's more like it,” Joker responded.

Dick stood up slowly. He pulled off his blazer. "You've gone too far, Joker."

Said clown grinned in agreement. "This should be fun."

* * *

Twelve minutes and forty-two seconds later, Robin's blazer lay tossed on the floor carelessly, his utility belt now firmly strapped around his waist. He was bleeding over his left eye, with multiple scratches and bruises.

The two thugs were in worse shape. One had a broken leg and a knife wound to the side. The second thug was knocked unconscious from a powerful blow of Robin's escrima sticks, previously hidden beneath his pant leg. It had taken Robin longer than usual to take down the relatively easy opponents, but he was emotionally compromised and therefore slower and sloppier.

Said superhero was facing Joker, hands raised in tight fists, ready to punch the living hell out of the clown.

"What a waste." Joker turned away in disgust from the two thugs. "They weren't much use anyway." He fixed his gaze on Robin's own. He licked his lips in anticipation. "I've always wanted to carve this bird."

Joker pulled out a carving knife from his suit jacket and advanced towards Robin. Without warning he lunged, aiming at Robin's torso.

Batman's partner dodged and countered Joker's attack with a flurry of punches. Back and forth they fought, _roundhouse kick, back kick, block, jab, cross, dodge, back handspring, punch, cartwheel, tornado kick, block, spinning hook kick, back flip,_ and so on.

Eventually Joker got the upper hand when he unexpectedly ducked under Robin's flying sidekick, and as soon as the bird turned around, he quickly preceded to punch Robin in the stomach with more force than usual. Joker was getting annoyed by the boy’s perseverance.

Robin wheezed in pain as the air rushed out of his lungs. He doubled over as he clutched his stomach, desperate to suck in some air. Joker didn't let him. The clown kicked Robin in the face, resulting in a bloody nose, likely broken. Joker punched, whacked, kicked, and slapped Robin until the sidekick was on the floor, blood dripping down his face, with numerous bruises beginning to blossom all over his body.

The Joker stood over him with a grin on his face. "Well, little bird, it’s been fun, but I'll have to put you out of your misery now. I'll admit, though, I will miss our little visits with each other and hearing you sing, which, by the way, is a lot more enjoyable than when you fly." Joker raised a gun, ready to fire a bullet for real instead of a mini flag that read _Bang!_

Just as the madman was about to pull the trigger, a crash was heard above. Joker and Robin raised their heads to see the Dark Knight himself descend in all his epic glory down into the gymnasium. He swiftly disarmed Joker and punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor.

Batman turned to his partner and said, "Explain this." He took Robin by the hand and helped him stand.

"Not my fault Joker decided to host a hostage situation at Gotham Academy," Robin cockily replied.

"No, but it is your fault that your identity is now compromised," the Bat responded.

"So Grayson really is Robin," a blonde-haired girl said. Up until now, the entire school had watched in shock as Dick had transformed into Robin and begun beating up Joker's goons. No one could quite believe that Bruce Wayne's ward, the smartest genius at Gotham Academy, champion mathlete, and bullied gypsy boy was actually Robin, Batman's partner, the Boy Wonder, and the World's Greatest Hacker. (That last one might be slightly overstated. Only slightly.)

"Great job, Bats. Now you've just confirmed it for them." Robin seemed to be healing just fine, if his attitude was anything to go by.

Before Batman could answer, Joker interrupted. "Ah, I see I got your attention, Batsie. Let's see. It took you-" he paused to check his watch. "Twenty-two minutes and thirteen seconds to get here, starting from the moment I walked through the front doors."

"You're going back to Arkham, Joker," Batman spoke in anger.

"Not so fast, Big Man. I've still got lots to do before I go back there. Besides," He turned to face the Boy Wonder. "I've only heard the bird sing twice before. I'd like to hear him again."

Though he was trained by the Batman himself to show no emotion, Robin's expression turned into one of pure terror.

"You stay the hell away from Robin," Batman growled.

"And who's gonna stop me? You certainly didn't do a good job the first two times. And that's only counting me. There's still Two Face, Penguin, Scarecrow..." Joker trailed off.

Batman lunged at the clown. He tackled the Joker and beat him until the psychopath was broken and bleeding. Batman leaned down towards Joker, batarang in hand. Joker coughed up some blood. "You gonna do it this time?"

Batman said nothing for a moment, then stepped away from Joker. "Still not willing to cross that line, are you, Bats?"

The Dark Knight simply turned away and headed toward Robin, who hadn't moved during the whole thing. "Gotham City Police will be here soon," he called to the clown. "You're going back to Arkham."

"Ah, so soon already. Oh well, there's always next time. And there will be a next time,” he said a bit more confidently.

Batman just kept walking until he stood face to face with Robin. Well, more like chest to face with Robin. "You're grounded."

"What!? How come I have to grounded!? It's totally Joker's fault I'm in this mess."

"And it's your fault he got through to you. You became emotionally compromised and confirmed Joker's theory that you are, in fact, Robin."

"He showed them the video, Batman. Of the first time." Robin looked away. His voice was cold.

Batman sucked in a breath. It was inaudible, of course, to anyone but Robin. The Boy Wonder turned to look at his mentor. "That's why." Robin only nodded. "Go back to the Cave and stay there until I return. I've got some business to sort out with the League." The Boy Wonder dutifully obeyed Batman's orders, and walked out the gym doors. Everyone stared in complete silence as the sidekick strode away, then turned their gazes to the Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight swept his gaze around the large room. Chairs had been overturned, some students had been slightly injured with nothing more than a few scratches, benches had been broken in half, and bullet holes could be seen in the walls. Basically, the place was a mess. "The Justice League's investor will pay for all the damage the school has endured. If you tell anyone of what you have seen here today, I will find you."

Batman left the threat hanging in the air as he hefted The Joker onto his shoulder and carried him outside. It took a moment for the students to process what had happened before everyone started rushing through the doors to see what Batman would do. The fastest kids saw Batman handing Joker over to the Gotham Police and having a quick word with Commissioner Jim Gordon.

Then he was gone.

* * *

The next day, the students of Gotham Academy were called into the gym. As promised, the damage had been completely repaired by an anonymous investor, and the gym looked as good as new. Everyone noticed that Richard Grayson was not present. No one questioned his whereabouts.

The large projector screen lit up with life at the front of the room. The morning's news report was an interview of Bruce Wayne, the legal guardian of Dick Grayson, and CEO of Wayne Enterprises.

_"Mr. Wayne," Cat Grant was saying. "Police reports have shown that the villain known as 'The Joker' made an appearance at Gotham Academy, the school that your ward Richard Grayson attends. Can you tell us of his condition?"_

_"Well Cat, Richard is resting very well and will be completely fine by tomorrow morning. He is a little shaken up by Joker's most recent attack, but should be able to work through the aftereffects."_

_"Richard has been subject to multiple kidnappings in the past. Could this have possibly been an attempt to do so again?"_

_"I honestly can't say, Cat. If I were to guess, it wouldn't be a kidnapping, because there were only two other guys with Joker, and Richard has been known to put up a decent fight when he is kidnapped."_

_"Thank you for your time, Mr. Wayne. All of Gotham hopes Richard recovers."_

_"No, thank you Cat, for being so concerned for his well-being."_

The video cut out.

It was a few seconds before the principal spoke. "What you just saw was coming live from Gotham General Hospital, where Richard is currently recovering. I trust no one has spoken of the events that transpired last night?" No one answered. "Good. I wouldn't want The Batman to come knocking on my doorstep and enter my house. I'm sure none of you would either." There were murmurs of agreement. "No one in this school will ever make any mention of what happened yesterday. No one will talk to Richard about it, no one will look at him strangely. You are to leave him alone, and what we saw and heard yesterday is to stay within these walls. Do I make myself perfectly clear?" A chorus of ‘yeses’ emanated from the gathered students. "Good. Everyone, carry on and head to class."

* * *

The next day, the Gotham Academy students did as they were told. The day progressed like any other, except that no one dared to speak to Dick. Only Barbara Gordon came over, but even she had little luck with talking to him.

As the weeks dragged on, the memory of the events started to fade away. Sure, everyone would remember what had happened for years to come, perhaps for their entire lifetimes, but the excitement would die down. People would stop avoiding Dick, and life would return to normal.

But in no way would anyone ever forgot the day when Robin received an identity crisis.

**Author's Note:**

> I don't actually know when Joker first met Robin. This entire encounter was completely made up as I went along. It actually turned out quite well, in my opinion.
> 
> The blonde-haired girl I mentioned was Artemis Crock. I thought it'd be fun to put her in there, since she goes to Gotham Academy. Plus, Robin trolls her all the time, so it'd be funny for her to finally find out why.
> 
> I'll admit though, the ending didn't turn out quite how I wanted it. I wanted it to be more like a Batman comes in and makes everyone magically forget Dick is Robin or something like Batman thinks up a well-planned story as to why Dick suddenly changed into Robin and become a badass fighter, but that would be implausible. So I went for the logical ending which was everyone remembers what happened but won't say anything because Batman would hunt them down and make them pay for hurting his little Robin.
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated! Let me know what you thought, how you felt, anything at all! Event the littlest things are motivation!
> 
> Find me on tumblr at booksunderthestairs.tumblr.com


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